Amanda Coupe was attracted to real estate at a young age. She recalled her family moving homes a few times when she was growing up, and her favorite part of the process was getting to tour the homes. And although her interest in the industry was residential at the time, she said once she got her start in 2002 at The John Buck Company as an accountant, she was instantly hooked to that business sector.
“JBC had a very entrepreneurial atmosphere,” Coupe said, “I basically created my own path toward Asset Management there by working in various groups such as accounting, valuation and eventually property management, and learning all that I could about every facet of an office building, always with a bend toward creating more value.”
But commercial real estate to her, she added, is the best physical representation of those financial return concepts.
Coupe is the managing director of business development at Cushman & Wakefield and has 15 years of real estate experience. She studied accounting and finance at Colorado State University.
She also happens to be one of the only female executives recruited out of the United States by Morgan Stanley Real Estate, to build their pan-European asset management company.
Prior to that, Coupe was the asset manager for The John Hancock Center in Chicago and focused on the leasing and disposition strategy when Goldman Sachs owned the asset.
And those aren’t the only professional achievements Coupe said she’s most proud of.
“I moved to Frankfurt, Germany at the end of 2008 for the role of a lifetime,” Coupe added.
She was the European head of business planning and reporting for the Morgan Stanley portfolio company, Argoneo Real Estate. In this role, she and her team asset-managed more than 200 assets across Europe with combined values of more than $8BN.
“The work was especially gratifying because we build something from the ground up,” Coupe said. “I made wonderful friendships there and experienced more of Europe than I could have hope to previously.”
Outside of work, Coupe has other achievements as well. Even though she said she’s more of a casual runner, this past January, Coupe ran her longest race yet—a half marathon.
“I’ve found it a useful tool to decompress and zone out after a long day,” she said.
Apart from that, Coupe enjoys visiting new cultures and photographing her experiences. For the few years that she and her husband lived in Germany, Coupe said they took advantage of the rail systems and quick flights to a handful of countries.
“The most interesting place I’ve visited so far was Istanbul for its architecture, food and customs,” she said. “I’ve also spent two weeks camping and on safari in South Africa. The scenery there is unmatched.”
But one of the things Coupe has been looking forward to recently is summer in Chicago, where she has a strong admiration for the vibrant lakefront.
And as for any other future plans she’s looking forward to, Coupe mentioned that she’s planning a trip to her home state.
“My husband and I are planning a camping trip in Colorado later in the summer,” she said. “We really enjoy spending time outside.”
Coupe is also a volunteer and supporter of Catholic Charities, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, and Junior Achievement. She’s also involved in BOMA and CREW Chicago.
